Two eight-week “A Matter of Balance” classes, addressing concerns of older adults about falling, will be offered over the next few months.

The nationally recognized workshops, designed to help manage falls and increase activity levels in older adults, teach how to view falls as controllable, set goals for increasing activity, learn exercises to increase strength and balance and make changes to reduce the risk of falling at home.

The upcoming sessions will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesdays, April 23 to June 11, at Southern Maine Agency on Aging at 136 Route 1 in Scarborough, and from 2 to 4 p.m. Mondays, May 12 to July 7, at the New England Rehabilitation Hospital, 335 Brighton Ave. in Portland

There will be a silent auction and dance Saturday at the Willowdale Golf Club to benefit the Out of the Darkness walk.

The silent auction will be held from 4 to 6 p.m., followed by the dance from 6 to 10 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $10 per person.

A buffet dinner and cash bar will be provided. All proceeds will benefit two teams for the walk in memory of Ashley “AJ” Johnston and Cody Crowley for the walk in Scarborough on Sept. 6 at Memorial Park.

For more details, call Don Crowley at 831-5319 or Margie Johnston at 883-0932.

Historian will discuss latest book on War of 1812

Award-winning historian and author George C. Daughan will discuss his latest book “The Shining Sea: David Porter and the Epic Voyage of the USS Essex During the War of 1812” at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Scarborough Public Library.

The book tells the story of Capt. David Porter’s 17-month action-packed voyage to the South Seas following the outbreak of the War of 1812.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event. This program is free and open to the public.

Do your driving skills need a tune-up? An AAA Safe Driving for Mature Operators driver safety program will be offered from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday at the senior center at Lower Village, 175 Port Road.

The program is designed for drivers age 55 and older who are interested in learning about the effects aging has on driving ability.

The DVD lecture-based course is designed to increase safe-driving awareness and confidence. There will be a discussion on what older drivers can do to stay on the road as long as safely possible. Class is limited to 16 people.

Cost is $15 for AAA members and $20 for all others. To register, call 791-8577.

Library storytimes taking a break until week of May 5

Storytimes at Kennebunk Free Library will take a break, effective immediately through May 1. Families are welcome to continue to visit the library, borrow items and play with the puppets and other toys.

Storytimes will return the week of May 5, with the same schedule of 10:15 a.m. Mondays for Peek-a-Book Babies, Tuesdays for Family Storytime and Thursdays for Time for 2s & 3s

Portland Fire Fighters Local 740 is holding a fundraiser to help the families of the firefighters who died in the March 26 fire in Boston. The event takes place from 6 p.m. to midnight Thursday at the Italian Heritage Center, 40 Westland Ave. in Portland.

Jim Fahey is the DJ for music and dancing and there will also be entertainment by Claddagh Mhor Pipe and Drummers from Portland.

The benefit features several raffle prizes, including gift cards and tickets to Boston and local sporting events.

Tickets are $20 each and can be picked up at the Central Fire Station, 380 Congress St., or at the door on the night of the event. Table sponsorships are available for $150 and additional donations are welcome and can be made by sending a check to: Local 740 Charitable Fund, Atlantic Regional Federal Credit Union, P.O. Box 278, Cumberland, ME 04021. For more information, call the Local 740 office at 756-8376.

Magician-juggler will give free performance at library

Magician and juggler Scott Jameson will perform at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Rines Auditorium at Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Way.

The performance is free and open to the public. For more details, call 871-1700.

SOUTH PORTLAND

Volunteers sought to help clean Fort Preble, take tour

Volunteers are invited to join the Fort Preble Preservation Committee for its annual spring cleanup day and tour of the 204-year-old fort.

The cleanup will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the fort on the Southern Maine Community College campus in South Portland.

A tour of the fort follows the cleanup.

Volunteers are asked to meet in the parking lot between the transportation building at 123 McKernan Drive and Bunker Lane at 10 a.m. For a campus map, go to www.smccME.edu/SouthPortland.

SANFORD

Women’s Fellowship to host indoor yard sale Saturday

The North Parish Women’s Fellowship will host an indoor yard sale from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday in the church vestry at 895 Main St.

Coffee and muffins also will be available for purchase.

YMCA and Trafton Center to hold spring fashion show

The YMCA and Trafton Center will sponsor the fifth annual spring fashion show from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Town Club, Washington Street.

The show, titled ”Fashions – Generationally Speaking,” will feature fashions for the young and young-at-heart.

Two new stores joining this year’s line-up are PJ’s Unique Peek of Kennebunkport and Catherine’s of South Portland.

The luncheon will be presented by Gina Sawtelle’s Above & Beyond Caterers.

Music will be provided by the Mostly Classical Strings. There also will be a silent auction.

Tickets are $25 each or a table of eight for $175. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are available at the Y/Trafton Center at 19 Elm St. or by calling 457-0080. Tickets will also be available at the YMCA in Springvale.

SOUTHERN MAINE

Medication take-back event to be held at three locations

A medication take-back event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at three southern Maine locations: the Saco Community Center, 75 Franklin St., Saco; the Scarborough Police Station, 246 Route 1, Scarborough; and at the University of New England pharmacy building at 716 Stevens Ave., Portland.

This event provides a safe, convenient and responsible way for community members to dispose of medications.

It also will educate the public on the potential for the misuse of medications.

DAMARISCOTTA/ROCKLAND

Master naturalist will give talks on Maine migrant birds

Maine master naturalist volunteer Kit Pfeiffer will head two talks detailing Maine’s migrant birds and how they got here.

Those sessions will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Spectrum Generations Coastal, 521 Main St. in Damariscotta, and at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Spectrum Generations Knox Community Center, 61 Park St.

Pfeiffer will tell which migrating birds to watch for and how to help make these spring birds’ journey and homes more environmentally friendly.

Participation fee is $5. Advance registration is required by calling 563-1363 or 596-0339.

PROSPECT

Observatory sites to open for school vacation week

The Friends of Fort Knox will open the state historic and Penobscot Narrows Observatory sites from Monday through Sunday in observance of school vacation week.

The fort will be open for exploration and guided tours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily and the observatory will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

During the early opening from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, volunteers are needed to team up with the Friends of Fort Knox and the Civil War Preservation Trust to help clean the Civil War-era state historic site.

Volunteers are needed to sweep, rake and ready Fort Knox for its ongoing season.

The Maine Children’s Trauma Response Initiative will offer a series of local training events focused on recognizing and caring for childhood trauma.

“Communities Creating a Path Toward Healing: Special Topics in Childhood Trauma” will take place in six different locations from May 1 through June 3.

Each workshop includes training on the effects of trauma on children, the impact on service providers working with those affected by trauma and a spotlight special topic featuring local experts.

The initiative’s goal is to create a network of care providers that can step in to help others with children in trauma.

All workshops will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with sessions scheduled for May 1 at the Williamson Performing Arts Center in Fairfield; May 8 at the Green Ladle in Lewiston; May 19 at the University of Maine in Machias; May 20 at the Black Bear Inn Conference Center in Orono; May 28 at the Ramsdall-Rogers American Legion in York; and June 3 at the Portland Public Library in Portland.

Registration fee is $15, which includes the cost of a light breakfast and lunch.

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